


The Reunion Scence

by olivemartini



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Freeform, Pre-Relationship, Reunion, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-05 13:03:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4180857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olivemartini/pseuds/olivemartini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Hermione is woken up from being petrified by the basilisk, she and Ron find themselves left alone in the common room.  It's the first time they've gotten the chance to talk since she's been woken up- and Ron has a lot to say.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Reunion Scence

Ron couldn't stop looking at Hermione.

It was wonderful, to see his friend with color in her cheeks, smiling and laughing and lamenting over the cancellation of final exams.  It was incredible, to have her shove into him, to have her lean into Harry while laughing, to watch her wrap Ginny in a bear hug.  If he kept looking at her -focusing on the sparkle in her eyes and the curl in her air and the breath in her lungs- he can almost forget what it was like to see her in the hospital wing, pale and unmoving, staring up at the ceiling with glassy eyes. 

The trouble was, you can only do something like that for so long without people noticing.  Ron wasn't willing to let Hermione out of his sight -what if that wasn't the only basilisk?  He didn't want to face being without his best friend again.  Still, no one mentioned the ceaseless staring and slight stalking until he and Hermione were left alone in the common room.

"What is it?"  She demanded, slamming her book closed.  "Do I have something on my face?  You've been staring at me all night."

Ron felt the tips of his ears turn red.  "Sorry," he muttered, wondering if it would be better or worse if he explained himself.  "It's just nice, seeing you, not, you know, dead looking."

Hermione smiled at him, and he thought again how much he loved that she was able to do that, loved the sight of the dimple in her right cheek and the slightly too big front teeth.  "I was petrified, Ron, not killed."  She rolled her eyes like he was being silly, then stopped.  "How did you know what I looked like?"

"I visited, I mean, Harry and I visited you in the hospital wing.  You were really, like, pale and cold and still."  Ron stared at the fire so Hermione wouldn't catch the slight lie.  When Harry was with him, Ron wasn't bothered that much.  He could remind himself that the mandrakes were going to be ready, and that she would be just fine, and would not die.  She would be back to annoy him in a matter of weeks.  But Ron would go by himself sometimes, just sit and hold her hand, brushing the hair away from her face.   Those were the times he thought about the what ifs.  When he thought about how much it looked like she was getting ready to be buried.  "I don't like seeing you like that."

"You won't have to again."  Hermione made a move like she was going to touch his hand, but drew back.  "How's Ginny doing?"

"Bad.  Pomfrey has her under a sleeping draught."  Ron put his head in his hands.  "She got bewitched by you-know-who, right under my nose.  What kind of a brother am I?"

This time, Hermione really did take his hand, and he thought for a moment how comforting that simple action was.  "The kind who would go to face a giant snake, and certain death, to save her.  The kind that faces down their greatest fear to save a friend."

"Harry told you about the spiders?"  At his question, Hermione burst into a fit of giggles, face glowing in the firelight.  "It's not funny!  Can you imagine that?  Me, almost eaten by spiders in the forbidden forest?  I'll never be able to make it through potions class."

"I promise I'll handle all the spiders for you," Hermione said, still giggling.  "Seems like the least I could do."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, until Hermione finally got up to go to bed.  As she was going up the stairs, he called her name.  "Wait.  I-"  But the words died in his throat.

Ron had had a lot of time to think, over the past few weeks.  Hermione gone was like a chunk taken out of his life.  He could barely function without her there.  Every minute he was reminded of her.  And that scared him.

Harry had been in the hospital wing before, and it was never this bad.  And Hermione was his best friend, just like Harry, but Ron knew the feelings there were different.... even if he didn't want to focus on it.  He wanted to tell her, to tell her how hard it was to sit beside her empty seat, to turn to ask her a question only to find out she wasn't there.  He wanted to tell her that even while worried about saving his sister, he was wishing she was there, wishing that he had gotten to save good bye to her in case the worst happened.  He wanted to tell her that the relief he felt when he saw Ginny alive was nothing to the roller coaster of emotions he felt when she came hurtling towards him in the Great Hall.

But they were thirteen.  Ron couldn't say any of that.

Instead he crossed the room to her and hugged her, something that they hadn't done since Harry was saving the stone.  She was burying her head in his shoulder, and he was practically clinging to her.  The whole thing felt much to desperate, much to important and emotion filled, for two kids.  And that's all they were, really.  So why was he able to feel this way?

"Don't ever leave me, Hermione."  He said, voice thick with emotion and wishing that he was older, that he didn't have the butterflies in his stomach.  "You're my best friend.  Don't leave again."

"I'm not going to leave you Ron."  Instead of pushing him away, or acting like he had lost his marbles, she only held onto his arms tighter.  "I'm never leaving you." 

 


End file.
